Restrained Redone
by SquiddlesScribbles
Summary: After years abroad, MC finally returns to her home in England. She's expecting everything to return to normal, but fate has other ideas for her... Will her fate fall into the hands of her trusted best friend, or the demon she summoned to save herself?
1. Chapter 1

The day was bright and cheery as MC walked down the cobblestone path to where she would be meeting her old friend for the first time in many moons. Her parasol was clutched in one hand to keep the sun off her face, and her skirts held up from the ground with her other. She didn't really mind the sun, and in reality, she loved the feeling of it beating down on her skin, but her grandmother would throw a fit if she discovered any more freckles on her porcelain-adjacent skin.

Soon, she made it to the corner of the sidewalk and stood there, her hand dropping her skirts in favor of supporting the parasol with both of her white-gloved hands.

She was a tad nervous about meeting her colleague, as it had been quite a while since she last saw him. Two years, 8 months, and 13 days to be exact, since she had set sail for America after having her heart broken.

MC looked down at her dress, to make sure everything was in order. Her corset was laced tight as ever, giving her the extra back and bust support she necessary for the time, and her skirts fell elegantly. She was sure to wear her best dress, a light blue floral bodice with white frills protruding from the front. Her skirts matched with the bodice and her sleeves were to her elbow, with white lace spilling from under the straight cut of the sleeves. Her copper hair was fashioned back in a gentle wave away from her face, pulled up by pins, and left to cascade around her shoulders in small ringlets.

When her shining emerald eyes traveled up from her own outfit, they locked with the golden irises of her colleague.

Immediately, her face brightened with a smile, and she had to restrain herself from throwing herself into the arms of her beloved friend.

"Luciel!" MC cried, wrapping her arms around him. She quickly pulled away and looked around to see the judging gazes of the random passerby. "Ah, my apologies. I must have gotten used to the ways of the colonies." She said, pushing out a laugh to lighten the mood. She locked arms with the man and began walking in the direction of their intended destination. He was one of her closest friends, and vice versa. He was close enough with her that MC knew his real name wasn't Luciel, but Saeyoung, and that it was imperative for her to call him Luciel in public.

"'Tis quite alright, my Lady," Saeyoung replied in a fake stuck up accent. "'Tis not thine fault thy caught wind of the savagery of those Yankee disentors! It must have been so _abominable_ that they even forced thy to adopt their vernacular!"

MC gasped, and laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "My, I had no idea you hath dipped thine _grubby_ hands into the pot of the nobles, Lady Vanderwood must have finally snapped on thee!"

Saeyoung gasped, faking a distressed look as he dropped the accent. "Don't even mention that name around me! Even the mere thought of him gives me great desolation!" MC couldn't help but laugh at that, as well. It was so easy for him to make her laugh. "Anyway, how was Yankee-country?"

"It's _called_ the United States, now, but it was lovely. Their weather is much more intense than ours, and the countryside stretches on and on forever. You really must visit sometime, when you're not working." MC replied with a smile, finally taking a chance to look at her friend. He hadn't changed in the time they were away from each other. His hair was still a very bright crimson color, and messy as ever. He was still somewhat scrawny, wearing a crisp white button up, with a red cravat pinned at his throat by a diamond encrusted brooch fashioned to look like the number '7', in reference to his codename 707. Over that was a grey peacoat that was trimmed with orange. He had matching grey trousers which barely covered the tops of his shined black boots. There was a time when MC fancied him, but any semblance of a crush was washed away when she had left all those months ago.

"...C… MC… MC!" Saeyoung all-but shouted, trying to pull her attention out of her head.

"Oh! Hah, my apologies. I must have spaced out a little, this heat is kind of getting to me…" She fanned her face with her hand for a moment, smiling awkwardly.

"It's alright! Just letting you know we're here, now! And…" He stopped, grabbing MC's hands within his own and causing her to drop her parasol. "I'm really glad you're here now," Saeyoung said, his face suddenly serious as he stared into her eyes. "V is a good leader, but… it's clear he's falling apart under the strain of upkeeping _all_ of the RFA's activities by himself. With you here to take back over, I'm sure things will pick back up."

MC laughed nervously, shaking her hands free from Saeyoung's. She leaned over to pick up her discarded parasol while thinking of a good response to that.

"Luciel…" She paused, straightening up and locking eyes once again. "_Saeyoung_," she harshly whispered under her breath to show she was being serious, "I'm not ready to take on managing _every_ part of the RFA again. When you-know-what happened and I threw myself into my work… I nearly ended up killing myself. I have to start slow, and work my way through taking on that workload again."

Saeyoung nodded and pulled her in for one last hug before they walked into the Cheritz tavern.

The tavern was rustic, rustic enough that MC's strict grandmother would turn her nose up if she knew MC was spending time there, with rough cobblestone walls and unwaxed wood floors and furniture. There was a wrap around bar behind which a burly man was cleaning a glass and chatting amiably with a patron, and most of the seats were filled with people chatting loudly. MC took in all of the familiar sights and smells with a smile on her face. She was glad to be back, too.

In the back corner of the tavern sat her friends and the main people who ran the RFA, which she and the aforementioned 'V' had started and brought up from the ground.

Her eyes immediately locked with the mint-eyed man who sat in the middle of the table, and her world fell away as she was blown back to a rainy day three years ago…

_Rain was pounding on the bay window beside the two young friends. Sporting mint hair and sad-glazed matching mint eyes, Jihyun stood with his hands hidden in his trouser pockets, his eyes downcast after having just delivered the news to his now ex-fianceé._

_"So… It's over?" MC asked, her elbow resting on the arm of her chair, and her chin cushioned on her hand as her eyes watched the downpour. Her demeanor looked to be aloof and uncaring, but in her eyes there raged a storm that the likes of the island had never seen before._

_"Yes... I'd apologize a million times over if I could but…" Jihyun shifted his weight between the heels of his feet, one hand pulling from his pocket to scratch the back of his neck. "I've fallen deeply in love with her. I know we've been engaged since we were twelve, but I'm sure you can understand what I'm feeling…"_

_"Can I?" MC mumbled, and turned when Jihyun asked what she said. "I said, I can. You don't have to apologize for love, Jihyun." She stood and gave him a strained smile. Her dull green eyes didn't shift from his chest, unable to meet his eyes. "I wish your engagement all the best, my love. A love like that cannot be undone, and you don't need me getting in the way of that."_

_Jihyun pulled the redhead into a hug, resting his cheek on the top of her head. She savored the feeling of being in his arms, as it felt like it was to be the last time._

_"Thank you, MC…"_

MC was startled back to present with a slap on the back, and being engulfed in the arms of her old friends.

Jihyun stayed behind the small group, waiting for them to part before stepping up to give her a more personal hug. The rest of the group returned to their seats, giving the two a moment to themselves. MC's cheeks turned red, and she rested her face on his chest, taking a deep breath of his familiar scent. "Jihyun I… I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when…"

"It's okay, MC, I understand. You had to deal with your own tragedies. I'm just glad you're here now." Jihyun said, pulling away to take a good look at his ex-fianceé. "Let's take a seat, I'm sure the others are just as excited to reunite with you as I."

MC nodded, and they made their way back to the table where their friends were sitting. Sitting from left to right was Yoosung Kim, a young university student who was clad in a green and grey pinstripe vest over a plain white button up. His blonde hair was swept away from his face, and his purple eyes were bright with youth. Next was Jaehee Kang, a serious-looking woman with a brown bob, and a yellow and brown floral patterned dress. Next to her was Zen, also known as Hyun Ryu, who was wearing a completely white suit with a single red rose in his lapel, an outfit which matched his stark white long hair and red eyes.

V took a seat beside Zen, and MC took a seat on the opposite side of the table, next to Saeyoung, who had seated himself between Yoosung and MC.

They all chatted about this and that, catching up with each other as it had been a while since they had all been together at the same time. Once personal stories were swapped, they changed back to running the business. The five members suggested different guests for MC to write to when she got home later, all of which she jotted down on a small notepad she always remembered to keep with her.

As their chatter died down, Yoosung was the first to get up and leave, explaining that he had to meet with his parents for lunch.

Following him was Jaehee, claiming that she had to get back to her office because her boss was expecting her.

When it was just MC, Zen, Luciel, and V left, Luciel pulled out a very large book. No one knew where he was keeping it, and no one bothered asking either.

Zen gasped when he saw it, covering his mouth in slight fear. "Seven, is that… A pentagram?! Don't you know that witchcraft like that is bad for your skin?!"

Saeyoung laughed somewhat maniacally, gaining the attention of some of the others in the tavern. His laughter died down a little, but his eyes still showed off that mischievous glint.

"Well… get on with it now, what have you got there?" MC asked, as she had always been fascinated by the occult.

"It's a grimoire I picked up during my last 'outing'," Saeyoung used quotes for that, as they all knew that 'outing' meant one of his top-secret missions, "It's supposedly full of secret summoning rituals!"

He opened the book to a random page, which had a very detailed drawing of a large pentagram with many intricate symbols, along with Latin words below it. MC took her time studying the symbols and words silently, while Saeyoung continued on, "This here is a spell for summoning a being to do your bidding! If I remember my Latin correctly, it says you'll summon a demon if you use blood to draw the summoning circle. It's one of the few that doesn't require any kind of candles or sacrifices-"

"Stop! Stop, stop, any more of that _blood_ and _demon_ talk and I might break out in hives! Seven, you know I have a show later tonight, how could you attempt to throw off my energy like this!" Zen ranted on. He worked in the _Opera_, and was quite popular, last MC heard. Zen hadn't really kept up writing letters to her while she was away, and she didn't blame him if he was as busy as Saeyoung had recounted to her. He worked day and night to perfect his voice and face, not to mention the strain his_ hours_ long Opera shows often took.

While MC would have laughed at Zen's outrageous show of self-absorbance, she was too busy staring at the page, inspecting it and practically memorizing the symbols and the verses below. Discreetly, she pulled out her notepad and copied down the symbol and accompanying spell. Then she tore out the page and stuffed it into her corset while Zen and Saeyoung were still arguing. If she was being honest with herself, she'd love to hop into the occult with her own grimoire and everything, from growing her own ingredients for potions, and having all of that time and freedom to live amongst nature. No one to tell her what to wear and how to act, she had gotten close in the countryside of America, just close enough to the untamed forests to take frequent walks and learn some of the local flora and fauna.

She was pulled, again, from that reverie by Saeyoung doing something startling. This being, snapping the book shut and standing abruptly.

With the absurdly large book tucked between his arm and side, he stood and pushed his glasses up. "Well, it's about time for me to make my way back to my _lair_," he said, turning to Zen with that maniacal smile he so often liked to tease the white-haired man with.

Zen shivered and stood as well. "I should be leaving as well," Zen said, straightening out his vest with a gulp. "I really must be off practicing, I've been here much longer than I meant. MC, it was nice to see you again!"

Zen and Saeyoung made their way out of the tavern together, leaving MC alone with V.

MC looked down into the murky depths of the drink she didn't remember ordering, and nervously took a sip from the chipped teacup.

"You sat listening to everyone rattle on about their lives, but I haven't heard much about what you've been up to," V broke the silence, scooting a little closer to MC.

"Oh you know," MC chuckled, finally really taking Jihyun's appearance in for the first time since first laying her eyes on him. He was leaning with his body turned towards her, his elbow on the table and his head resting on the palm of his hand. He had a small smile on his face, and his eyes were bright with attention. "I… uhm…" MC swallowed, feeling her face heat up. She just meant to see how he was looking, and ended up ogling him instead. "Y'know…"

V laughed, well aware that MC was getting flustered. "I adore that little accent you picked up overseas, it's very cute," He said, his voice dropping a little as he tilted his head a little more.

"Oh really?" MC giggled, a bead of sweat falling from her temple. She whipped out her small paper fan and fanned her face for a moment, afraid her face was getting hot. "I never noticed it b-before, but you and Luciel both mentioned it… Is it really that different?" MC closed the fan, absent-mindedly holding the handle to her lips while she waited for him to respond.

"I…" It was V's turn to get somewhat flustered, his free hand tugging at his starched collar. He cleared his throat, the corner of his lips turning back up into a grin. "It is, in a good way. It's clear you enjoyed your time away."

MC finally felt her shoulders relax as she smiled back at her best friend. "I did, I really did. The air was much cleaner, and I finally got time to myself to reflect on my life here. I feel like things are going to change."

V found her smile to be infectious, and couldn't help the grin stretching across his own face. "I'm glad," V said. His hand slipped into his coat pocket and pulled out a gold pocket watch on a chain with a sigh. "I have to go, but…" He stood and she followed suit, "I hope we can meet up again. I don't want to go so long without talking again. Could I possibly stop by tomorrow around two, and we can catch up some more?"

MC nodded, figuring that her grandmother would also like to see him sometime soon. They walked together up to the front of the tavern, stopping to pay for their drinks, before stepping out. "Of course, that would be lovely." V gave MC one last burning glance, as if he was trying to memorize the lines of her visage before they had to part. "I'll await your presence, MC," Jihyun whispered, taking her gloved hand into his and pressing one searing kiss to her knuckles, his eyes still locked with her's.

She swayed a little, feeling lightheaded. "O-Of course, I'll… see ya…" MC's lips turned up in a flustered smile before she turned and walked away to the sound of V's hearty laughter.

...

MC made it all the way to the next corner with a woozy smile on her face before she felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise in alarm.

She was being followed. Closely.

Her head swiveled around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Men and women were passing by, it was a normal day. It wasn't until she was another couple of blocks down that she let her guard down. She figured she must have just been wary from being home in her putrid and cramped home city.

As soon as her body had relaxed somewhat, hands grabbed her from a dark alleyway, pressing a cloth to her mouth before she had time to scream.

She inhaled sharply in surprise, taking in the sickly sweet smell of chloroform on the cloth pressed to her nose and mouth.

Before her vision fully blurry and blackened, she heard in a cackling voice above her, "You don't know how long I've been waiting…"


	2. Chapter 2

_Gentle sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, a single ray peeking through to shine on MC's unopened eye, the brightness rousing her from a deep slumber. Once her eyes cracked open, they connected with the mint ones of her fiancé. He was laying on his side, sitting up slightly with his head resting on his hand, and his other hand tracing lines on MC's arm. _

_She couldn't help but crack a small smile, rolling over to press her face to his chest and inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne. Jihyun chuckled lightly, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame. _

"_I love you," she whispered. _

_Jihyun pressed his lips to the crown on her head._

"_I love you too," he murmured in return._

MC blinked open her eyes to see a rough cobblestone wall. She turned her head side to side, finding that the cramped room she was being held in was encased in cobblestone walls, along with the floor which her heeled feet barely rested on. She shifted a little, and found her arms to be tied behind her and to the chair, along with her ankles to the legs of the chair. There were no windows, or anything else in the room at all for that matter. Directly to her right was a wooden door bolted to the wall with iron, it looked heavy, and had multiple locks on it. As if she'd even be able to make it out of her bindings…

The redhead sighed and looked down at her lap in despair. She was hoping she'd make it _at least _2 weeks back in the country before getting kidnapped again.

Kidnapping for a multitude of reasons was quite common back when she was fully immersed in running the RFA. Ransom, grudges, along with other, _unsavory _motives. It couldn't be helped, with their business. But, every time it happened, Saeyoung would find her within a day or two, before any real damage could be done. This was due to their nightly routine of calling each other around nine at night to check up on the other. They did so to all of the top members, to reduce the likelihood of one of them turning up missing. As the face of the organization, and a woman with a smaller build, she was the most vulnerable of the top three.

MC's head snapped to the side when she heard keys jingle outside the door, and the sound of all of the locks unlocking.

The door creaked open and in walked a very… interesting man. MC couldn't help but blush a little at his indecency, as he was wearing such an unusual outfit consisting of a red button-up shirt with the sleeves ripped off and unbuttoned down to the middle, and he had a waistcoat on that wasn't fully pulled up his arms, hanging off of at his elbows. On one of his exposed arms was a tattoo of a very stylistic eye. The man's hair was stark white with pink tips, and hanging messily in front of his feral-looking mint-green eyes.

MC opened her mouth to scold him for his indecency, but just as she was sucking in a breath to prepare her rant, he stuffed a black handkerchief into her mouth.

"Less noise you make, the better," he said as some sort of explanation, and MC glared at him silently. "I'm only gonna tell you this once, don't disrespect me, don't scream too loud, and don't ever fucking lie to me. Got that?"

MC nodded, but couldn't help but roll her eyes at the spiel she's heard many times, from many different kidnappers. It was rare for them to actually follow through.

At that, the man deliviered a bruising slap to her cheek, nearly tipping her chair over. It caused her to spit the saliva soaked rag out of her mouth, and she felt blood pooling in her mouth from where she must've cut her cheek on her teeth.

The man leaned really close, and she could smell the scent of smoke on his breath, and she got a closer look into how unhinged his eyes looked. "I told you not to fucking disrespect me, _girl._"

MC, ever the one to hate being talked down to, promptly spit in his face. She couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips at the incredulous look he gave her, with her blood-mixed saliva running down his cheek. Before she had a chance to say something, probably something snarky, the man pulled his balled fist back and punched her in the nose. Immediately, she felt blood spurt from her nostrils as her chair flew back, causing her to knock her head on the cobblestone floor. Stars flashed behind her eyes at the impact, and before she could recover from the blow, she felt his boot-clad foot connect with her stomach, once, twice, and three times.

He grabbed her by the tops of her arms and pulled the chair back up. He was breathing heavily, and his hair was more disheviled than it had been previously.

MC's emerald green eyes stared up at him in fear, and she physically recoiled when his lips stretched over his teeth in a maniacal grin, which slowly evolved into him cackling. He threw his head back in raucous laughter, his fingers still gripping her upper arms painfully.

"You don't even know why you're here, do you?!" He asked, turning his head back down to look at her, small and demented giggles still falling from his mouth.

MC was trembling now as she shook her head, trying to keep eye contact with the deranged man. Her answer caused him to fall into another fit of laughter.

This time he waited for his giggles to pass, and he released his grip on her. MC was sure marks were already forming on her delicate skin.

He stared down at her, the same feral glint in his eye, and a grin stretched across his face. In a delighted voice, he declared, "You're here to give me all of the information on your companies under-dealings. And if you don't comply, I'm allowed to do whatever I want to you!" He giggled a little bit more, pinched her cheek painfully, and sauntered out of the room.

Even after the heavy door was shut, and locked tightly, MC could still hear that laugh ringing in her ears.

Fat tears rolled down her bruised cheeks, and soft sobs flitted from her throat.

_Oh, Saeyoung… Please hurry…_

...

An unknown amount of time passed, could've been hours, could've been days, before MC's eyes had opened again.

Her entire body felt sore, and it hurt to breathe. Her head felt like it was full of cotton, and heavier than normal. As her blurred vision looked around, her surroundings seemed different. Namely, she was no longer tied to a chair, but instead she had a heavy shackle locked around her ankle, her eyes followed the chain it was connected to up to where it was firmly attached to the wall. She was now situated on a hard slab of a material she considered might have been a mattress once, but now it reeked of mildew and years of unuse. In the center of the room was a new chair, one that was nailed to the floor, and attached to it were leather cuffs on the arms and front legs. She assumed that would be her new interrogation chair.

MC took another minute to inspect her injuries, and noticed a new mark she hadn't seen before. A small red dot on her inner elbow. Explained how they were able to do all of this without her waking up, they'd drugged her at some point during her rest. She was now clad in a different dress, it was made of a cheap material that she could feel itching her skin. She pulled up the skirt to find she no longer had on the chemise she was wearing when she was brought here, though instead she was clad in a pair of open-crotched bloomers, which somewhat common during her time. Still, she was not a fan of the draft she felt while wearing them, since she was used to wearing so many layers of skirts over her undergarments.

She pulled the skirt of the dress up further to inspect her ribs and stomach. Just as she feared, an angry red and purple bruise covered most of her right side. Experimentally, she took a deep breath and found herself feeling an intensely sharp pain in her lungs and ribs.

"_Fuck…_" She mumbled. She really hoped Saeyoung would be there soon, she wasn't sure if that man would let her survive much longer. Though she knew she was somewhat safe from death, as she clearly had knowledge that he and whatever organization he was with needed. That didn't mean he wouldn't do worse to her. That thought gave her a shiver.

Her hands quickly dropped her skirt when she heard the sound of the locks on the door unlocking. Fearing it was the white haired man back for more, MC swallowed her pride and quickly sunk into the corner of the room, pulling her legs up to hide her face behind and protect her vital organs.

Instead, it was a meek looking woman in a maid's outfit. She set down a small tray of food, and quickly shut the door again before MC could stand up again.

MC walked over to inspect the food she was given, seeing that on the tray was a thin looking broth, stale bread roll, and a glass of water. She looked upon the items suspiciously. While she wasn't quite sure how one would poison such items without it being noticable, she still didn't trust it. But upon seeing the food, a thought finally sunk in: she was going to be there for awhile.

Otherwise, they wouldn't bother giving her any food. If they were expecting her to crack, they'd probably starve her, or at least wait a couple weeks. What were they planning to do to her? Force her to join their group after she spilled all of her secrets? Turn on her comrades? She would never, no matter how desperate she was to stop the torture, she'd never give up their secrets. The RFA was theirs as much as it was her's, she didn't have the right to give up their confidential practices.

Steeling her nerves, MC vowed to herself that she would take the RFA's secrets to the grave with her.

She took a test sip from the water, and upon finding it to not taste strange, gulped it down, though she outright refused to eat any food they gave her. If she had to be here for an extended period of time, she'd make sure she was the most difficult prisoner they'd keep.

...

More time had passed since then, more uneaten meals, and more unpleasant visits with her captor. Each time before an interrogation, three burly men would storm in and grab her, strapping her into the chair.

This time was no different, as the heavily built men opened the door, and crossed into the threshold before MC could properly curl up in the corner. All three of the men grabbed her roughly, causing panic to set into MC's bones as she thrashed about. She hated the way they grabbed her, the way they threw her around like she was nothing more than a ragdoll. Everytime, she thrashed. Hoping that one of these times they'd accidentally drop her and she'd be able to make a break for it. She felt her foot connect with the bone of someone's face, she thinks, but that just causes them to grasp her tighter as they wrestle her into the chair. Two of them have to hold her down by the arms and legs, while the third straps her limbs into the chair itself, all while she was still struggling with all of her might.

When they finished, MC was breathing heavily, a fearfully feral look in her eye, as her curly hair hung in front of her face. One, who had a freshly blackened eye, scoffed.

"Oh how the mighty fall." He said, rubbing his reddened cheek.

MC huffed, and turned her head up, spitting in their general direction. The small glob of saliva landed, instead of in his face, on his shoe. He shook it off, shaking his head with a smirk as the other two started to make their way out of the room. "You're lucky we're not allowed to touch you," he said cryptically, before turning and leaving as well.

Judging by the lack of sound coming from the locks, she assumed that the white haired man would be showing up soon enough that they didn't need to lock the door. Not like she'd exactly be able to just get up and walk out, anyway.

MC shook her head to get her hair out of her face, and took a couple of deep breaths. Whatever he had in store for her couldn't be too bad. They couldn't damage her too much, right? No one was that cruel. He mostly just liked to punch her, and laugh when she'd start to cry. He'd never cut her or anything, or even threaten to kill her.

Soon enough, the door swung open, and MC once again came face to face with the source of her waking nightmares.

His bored-looking eyes swept the room, surely noticing the twisted bedsheets and the previously discarded trays of food that were now scattered and knocked over, all signs of a commotion, but didn't comment. He must have been thinking that if she wanted to starve herself, for now she could.

It wasn't until his small-pupiled green eyes landed on her scuffed up face that she saw any flare of emotion. When his eyes scanned down to see part of her dirty gown had been torn at the chest, exposing her undergarments, MC identified the emotion in his face to be fury.

"Those damn brutes," he mumbled under his breath, turning without acknowledging her further, she heard him continue, "She's mine, _mine_! They weren't to lay a hand on her, I swear-" His ramblings were cut off, to her that is, by the slamming of the door behind him.

MC involuntarily let out a deep sigh of relief. She hadn't even noticed that the men had done any damage to her, though considering how much she had been struggling to get out of their grip, she couldn't say she was very surprised. She blushed when she had looked down and confirmed that her dress had been ripped. By societal standards, she was naked.

MC's hand moved to adjust the shirt, and her head snapped down when she found it had actually moved. She looked at her right wrist had been so loosely strapped in that she was able to just slip her hand out. In the fuss, between the man's words and the white haired man's actions, MC hadn't gotten a chance to notice.

Without giving herself a chance to even consider thinking twice, MC hurriedly undid the strap on her left wrist, before bending down to undo the ones at her ankles.

She didn't turn back as she bolted out of the still unlocked door. She felt a laugh bubble up her throat, but she slapped her hand down on her mouth as she ran to keep herself from making any noise. Her legs were weak from malnutrition, but she pushed herself to keep running.

She turned corner after corner, coming upon corridor after corridor. She had absolutely no idea where she was, or how to get out.

When she heard footsteps and voices, MC quickly ducked into an unlocked room. Inside, luckily for her, it was devoid of other people. Instead, it looked like it was some kind of storage closet, filled with shelves of crates. Each crate had a name on it, and MC was startled to find one with her own name on it. Curious, MC pulled it out and dug through its contents to find it held the clothes she was brought there in.

She lifted up the blouse, which still had her corset tucked inside as if they had been taken off together to save time, and when it was out of the crate, a small square of paper fell from between the fabrics.

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she picked up the paper and unfolded it, finding it to be the summoning circle and accompanying chant she had written down at her last meeting with her colleagues. How long had it been since then? How long had she been locked up in this prison?

Finding that she had probably spent too much time in one place, MC quickly stuffed the note in her shirt again and returned the crate to the shelf she had taken it from.

MC stood up and cracked open the door, peeking out to make sure no one else was in the corridor before stepping all the way out again. She softly shut the heavy door behind her and made her way down the corridor. At some point, she had to find _some_ way out.

She knew she was probably being held on the basement level of whatever building she was in, based on the lack of windows and general dank air of the place, so she kept her eye out for stairs up as she continued to speed walk.

All too soon, a couple hallways down, she heard the maniacal scream of her captor and a resounding, "_Where is she?!"_ The aforementioned shout alerted her to the fact that he knew now that she was gone. MC felt fear spike up her spine, and she put more power into her weak legs.

She needed out, _now_. Otherwise, she'd just find herself back in that cramped cell, forcing herself to starve and taking the punishment from her personal executioner.

MC sprinted down the corridors, but it wasn't long before she heard the pounding footsteps of the man pursuing her, and he was much closer than she thought possible. With the echoes from the halls, she had no idea which way the noise was coming from either.

She turned her head behind her briefly, figuring he had to be behind her, but there was no one there, yet the stomping kept getting louder. Where was he?!

It wasn't until she ran full force into the hard chest of her captor that she got her answer. She bounced back, but before she could steady herself and make a break for it again, his hands shot out and grabbed her by her arms. His nails dug into her flesh, and MC's eyes shot up to meet his.

There was blood on his face.

A small splattering, but enough to be noticeable. Her eyes darted down and saw it was on his clothes too, and his hands, and currently being smeared on her.

MC wasn't sure if any more fear could be projected through her, lest she dies of fright at that second.

"You ungrateful _bitch!_" He shouted, shaking her. "After what I did for you, you think you can just run away?!"

"I- No- I-" MC stumbled over her words, her anxiety taking over. She was terrified of saying something wrong and ending up like whoever he had felt the need to get rid of before finding her. His eyes darted between her's, waiting impatiently for her to explain herself. Time was ticking, she needed to come up with something fast. She had known that he was crazy, but she didn't know he was 'I murder for you' crazy.

That was when it occurred to her.

He killed someone who hurt her, he was clearly possessive over her, even if it was for something as disgusting as not wanting _someone else_ to be hurting her. "I w-was looking for you…?" It sounded lame, even to her, but the man tilted his head at her, urging MC to continue. "I, uh," she had a feeling she'd be regretting these words before she said them, but she had to keep going to keep herself alive. "I didn't want to be away f-from you again…" MC looked down at the ground, feigning an embarrassed blush. Instead, her face was red with shame.

His eyes widened, and his grip on her arms loosened. "You… missed me?" MC nodded without looking up. "You missed me… already… ha… hahaha!" He started laughing, his unnaturally cold hands dropping down to grasp hers, staining hers in the same red blood that his were covered with. "Of course you did, of course! Come, you've got to get to your cell before the Savior finds out you escaped." He said with a sickly sweet smile. "Meanwhile, I'll look into moving you into my room, so you don't have to miss me anymore!" He started giggling some more as he gripped her hand and started walking back down the halls.

MC half walked, was half pulled, back to her cell of a room. All while she felt disgust curling in her stomach. She hated this man, with every fibre of her being, and here she was about to become his personal concubine, like some kind of cheap whore. She needed to be thinking of ways to get out, not fall deeper in!

MC pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it as tears sprang to her eyes. She had been so close to freedom.

She wanted to feel the sun on her skin again, she wanted to feel grass under her feet again. Part of her even missed the disgusting smell of the city. To be anywhere but here would be heaven, yet here she still was. Alone in hell.

Soon, too soon, they made it back to MC's holding cell. It was just as she had left it, blankets strewn about, food everywhere, and the chair still cemented to the ground in the dead center of the room.

The man turned to her, smiling when he saw the tear streaks on her cheeks. "Don't cry, my little bird. We'll be together soon enough." He murmured, cupping the back of her head and pulling her in for a bruising kiss of which she did not reciprocate.

Then, he left. The clicks of many the locks truly emphasizing her defeat.

"_My little bird"_ He had called her.

Oh, she was a bird all right.

A bird that just clipped her own wings.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry this update took so long! Been struggling with writers block :( but here ya go! Gotta tread through the darkness before you can bathe in the light :)

Reviews and favorites are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Months passed, this time MC knew that for sure, for soon after falsely proclaiming her dependence on that man, whom she now knew as Saeran, she was moved into his room above ground. Finally, she had a window that let in just enough light for her to know whether it was night or day.

Still, she had no freedom.

Still, she has not seen the sky, nor the moon or sun.

If anything she had even less now. Before, she would be left on her own for most of the day unless she was being interrogated.

Now, she was monitored 24/7.

Briefly, she wondered if the only reason he did end up bringing her into his room was to keep an eye on her after her escape attempt.

But, she soon was informed of the real reason why her new prison was his room.

...

He only let her out of her chains to use her, and it was often. The first time, she had been so scared, she cried the entire time, and many days afterward. Her tears only seemed to fuel whatever sadistic tendencies he thrived off of, so soon she learned to keep her face impassive during, and to cry to herself when he left the room.

A few times when he assaulted her, MC would try to kick him, bite him, punch him, even started to strangle him at one point, but it was all for naught. Every attempt to get him to lay off only seemed to spur him on, with more bursts of his laughter. It was like he liked it when she tried to kill him.

In his spacious room, she had only the corner to herself, where she was chained to the wall with shackles on all four of her limbs. He wasn't taking any chances this time, clearly. In the corner, she had a mattress that was somewhat of a better quality than the one she had in her cell, which she assumed was only because he didn't want that mildewy one to stink up his living space.

And now, instead of wearing that dirty and cheap dress from, Saeran constantly had her dress up in sultry-looking outfits, dresses with short skirts and low necklines. Chemises that were tailored to hug her body and show off her curves. She felt much like she was living in a brothel rather than a prison.

She was never given anything that she could use to escape. The maids would brush and style her hair for her, they'd dress her in whatever outfit Saeran fancied that evening. She was never given any utensils to eat her food-_if_ she ate, that is. She was still on her hunger strike, but sometimes Saeran would force her to eat if he decided she was looking too sickly to turn him on.

She was also never given any chance to even be truly alone. She couldn't even go to the restroom alone, she was always accompanied by a maid.

It was suffocating.

Day in and day out, she sat in her corner and watched him work. He was constantly looking through documents, through old newspaper clippings which featured the RFA's charitable work, or featured mysterious assassinations of higher-ups in parliament.

With MC now serving as Saeran's toy, he'd given up on trying to wrangle information out of her. Now, he was hunting for a weaker-minded member of the RFA, and MC was beginning to suspect he was getting close to getting someone.

She still hung on to her note of the summoning circle, from so long ago. It was the one thing she was able to hide from Saeran and his army of servants. She kept it tucked between the wall and the mattress, inside the fitted sheet. She wanted so desperately to try it, but she hadn't gotten any time to do so.

That is, until one day. When she woke up, no one was in the room with her. After many months, possibly even a year, she was completely alone in the room. For what reason, she had no idea. Security breach? Celebration she couldn't be a part of? Who knows. Who _cares_.

Quickly, or as quickly as she could with her malnourished and under-exercised body, she pulled the small piece of paper out and moved to sit on the cold floor on her bony knees. Upon opening the note, she realized something extremely important: she had nothing to write with. There was a quill resting next to a jar of ink on the desk a few meters away, but it was too far for her to reach, and there was nothing near her that she could use to possibly knock it off the desk to get it to her.

She looked down at her hands, her skeletal hands, thin wrists, translucent skin that showed her bright blue veins crisscrossing all over her arms. Veins. _Veins_. Blood!

In the back of her mind, she remembered Saeyoung mentioning something about blood with the ritual, that it would either strengthen the ritual or cause it to go horribly wrong.

Saeyoung...

MC's mood instantly darkened. He never came to save her, and she was sure he never even tried. It was possible he had been _acting_ happy last time he had seen her, but once she was gone he was glad for things to go back to the way they were before she came back.

She bit her chapped lips before looking back down at her wrists. The only problem was, she had nothing to get the blood out. No knife, no mirror or window to shatter to use the glass. Not even a needle.

Letting out a sigh, MC figured she'd have to use something else. And she knew what that something else was.

Keeping the small note close as a reference, MC brought her arm up to her mouth and sank her teeth into the flesh without giving herself time to think. It stung so horribly that tears sprung in her eyes. As soon as the coppery substance splashed onto her tongue, she pulled her arm away and used her other hand to dip her fingers in the now running blood to start to draw the summoning circle on the wooden floor in front of her.

It took quite a few times of dipping her fingers back in the blood, along with having to bite a new source after the first mark stopped flowing.

By the time her messily drawn circle was finished, her head was beginning to spin from the blood loss. She grabbed the paper, accidentally smearing her blood on it, and began reading aloud from it.

The spell was clearly in Latin, a language she had yet to learn, so her mouth stumbled over the foreign words.

When she finished reciting the spell, she held her arm out over the middle of the circle, letting more blood drip into the pentagram.

Then she leaned back, and everything was silent. Too silent. She felt tears begin to burn her eyes, and she fought them off. All of that work, all of the time waiting for a moment alone to do this, all of the _blood_ spilled, and she had nothing to show for it.

MC's head shot up when she heard the floorboards creak outside the door. Someone was coming, she was about to be caught in the act of heresy.

She jolted into action with the intention of wiping her hands across the slowly drying pentagram, to be rid of the evidence that she was doing anything that could get her punished, but instead, something unexpected happened.

MC slapped her palms down on the outer circle of the pentagram, and it suddenly lit up in a blinding light. She tried to pull away, to shield herself from the hot light, but found herself to be stuck to the circle, unable to move. It was too late to go back now.

The light died down to form a human-sized fire in the center of the large summoning circle. A _black_ fire, edged in a deep mauve. MC's fearful eyes turned up involuntarily to connect with a pair of glowing red eyes that had emerged from the dark flames.

She finally found herself able to pull her hands away, and she did so. Standing on wobbling legs, she addressed the form as it stared through her silently.

"What do you wish for, girl?" A voice asked, which echoed so loudly around her, she couldn't tell if it had come from the flames or from directly behind her.

"I wish… for you to aid me in taking down every single part of the organization that has held me captive for these many months." MC declared, her voice unwavering despite the rest of her body shaking like a leaf.

"Very well." The voice sounded again, much clearer now.

It was at those words that the formless mass of black and purple flames began to take shape, compressing themselves into the shape of a man, much taller than MC, and with an aura that was much more menacing than Saeran could ever be. Slowly, the black form had started to develop skin, stretching out from its glowing red eyes that were still fixed on MC's own. Its face took shape, with sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin, and the newly forming skin crawled down his neck to disappear beneath the color of his suit. Black locks of hair fell from his scalp, the hair falling just above his almond-shaped eyes before flipping out of the way.

Once fully formed, he knelt on one knee in front of MC, placing his hand over his heart with his head bowed and his glowing eyes turned up to connect with her's. "Would you like to form a contract?"

She hesitated. This all didn't seem right. The black flames, the red eyes, the air of malevolence which surrounded this man. But, was it possible she just didn't know as much as she thought about spiritualism? It was still relatively new when she had last had contact with the outside world. Maybe he was a good spirit, like the spell said he was supposed to be. "Y...Yes. _Yes._" She said firmly. She needed out, even if agreeing did leave her with a heavy feeling in her stomach.

"Then, I shall leave my mark of contract upon your skin." The man leaned in closer, and MC couldn't help but pull back, for her experiences with Saeran left her with a deep fear of men, especially scary-looking men.

He crouched to her level and cradled her head in his one hand as he nudged the neckline of her gown aside, exposing her collarbone and most of her shoulder. He ducked his head, and let his lips connect with the flesh between her neck and shoulder. MC let out a shaky breath as a spark burned its way through her spine to settle in her core. Though, the pleasure was abruptly cut off as the man sunk his teeth into her flesh, causing MC's eyes to close tightly as a blinding pain flashed through her entire body, her hands jumping to grip the fabric of his suit jacket.

Soon, he detached from her and the pain in her neck faded to a dull ache.

The man patted at his mouth with a purple handkerchief, before stowing it away in his pocket and turning to address her once again. "What shall my name be, my lady?" His voice sounded sincere enough, but his eyes regarded her with something akin to disgust; much like the look one would give to a colony of ants that had made a home in their kitchen.

MC paused, it had been so long since someone had addressed her so respectfully, even though the feeling of dread nagged at her conscious, it made her feel good. It made her feel more human than she had in the past months. And, MC knew what his name should be immediately, due to his striking resemblance to someone she had known from her previous life. "...Jumin. Jumin Han."

Jumin nodded, and his eyes slowly sank from red to a striking deep purple, with a glint of something sinister behind them. "And my orders, mistress?"

MC looked up, freezing when her eyes connected with those of her jailor. Saeran, it appeared, had just walked into the room. He dropped the tray of food he was carrying and lunged at Jumin without hesitation. MC could've sworn she saw Saeran's eyes change as he jumped, but she had no way of confirming it because as he moved, she immediately shouted, "Get rid of him!" in response to Jumin's previous inquiry.

Jumin's arm shot out, and he grabbed Saeran out of the air by his neck. Saeran's eyes closed tightly as he clawed at Jumin's hand, which was gripped tightly at his throat. Were Saeran's nails longer? MC couldn't tell. Again, MC didn't get a chance to tell, for Jumin's free hand lifted from his side before plunging into the chest of his prey. Blood spurted from Saeran's mouth as Jumin pulled his hand out, clutching the man's heart in his fist. Somehow, he had broken through the ribcage and gotten a strong enough grip on the blood-slickened organ to fully pull it from his chest, with it he had pulled some extra vessels and capillaries, all of which hung limply, for the muscle had stopped pumping blood as soon as it had been disconnected.

Jumin tossed Saeran's readily-paling body to the side. He took a moment to inspect the heart of his victim before tossing it beside Saeran's body.

He turned to MC, the blood splatter slowly dripping down his face as he wiped his hands on the handkerchief, asking "your next orders?" Though instead of seeing the fierce girl who had summoned him, he now saw a small redhead curled in the corner of the room, her wide and fearful eyes staring up at him from behind the cover of her knees. "What?" he snapped.

"Y-You were supposed to be a good spirit, you-you-" She stammered, cringing into herself when Jumin took a step closer.

"A good spirit?" He scoffed, continuing to walk forward despite MC's clear indication she wanted to be nowhere near him. "You humans are much more idiotic than I previously thought. I'm a _demon_. A _demon_ who has a grip on your puny little soul right now. So, you'd better get over whatever petty little fear you may have for me because as soon as I fulfill your wish, you'll be spending an eternity in hell with me."

MC's bottom lip trembled, and she flinched when Jumin reached out to grab a lock of her dulled hair, pinching it between his fingers. "It's a shame you're so sickly, maybe we'll have enough time to fatten you back up before I make you my meal." He said with a sick grin.

When Jumin placed his hand on her shoulder, over her fresh contract mark, his eyes flashed red. MC's fearful eyes dulled, her eyelids falling to give her a dazed look. "What are your next orders, my lady?" Jumin asked again.

MC's head lethargically turned up to look at him, her half-lidded eyes connecting with his. She held her arms out like a toddler asking to be picked up, the chains attached to her arms clanging together. "Take me home." She said, her voice monotonous.

After he had broken the chains keeping her locked to the room, Jumin lifted her like a princess. "Yes, my lady."

...

The next hour passed like a blur. If MC was to be honest, she had no concrete memories past when she had watched Jumin rip out Saeran's heart. When she tried to think back to that time, all she saw were flashes of Jumin's red eyes.

Upon walking up to MC's manor, she pushed herself out of Jumin's arms. She straightened up her gown as best as she could, along with making sure her hair seemed at least somewhat manageable. "Stay behind me," she ordered him, before reaching up and banging the heavy knocker on the front door.

She let her eyes drift from the door, to the sky. She hadn't gotten a good look at it during the time she was being taken back home, as she was constantly slipping in and out of consciousness.

The sky overhead was light blue with a faint dusting of pink from the slowly rising sun. A few puffy clouds floated lazily across the sky. It was beautiful. MC couldn't wait until she could see the sun had fully risen and she could feel its warmth on her skin again.

The door creaked open, and MC's head turned back to the sound when she heard a soft gasp. "...MC?" Her maid, Sarah, sounded breathless, as if she was ready to faint at any moment.

MC's tired eyes turned to her maid. "Yes?"

"Well, it's just… Mistress, during this time we believed you to be deceased!" Sarah said with a surprised laugh.

"_Well_," MC started, mimicking Sarah, "I'm not. I never was. Has Grandmother risen yet? I must speak with her." She never liked Sarah, not after the one time she had walked in on her slandering MC's name to another household maid. Unfortunately for MC, Sarah was her grandmother's favorite servant, so she hadn't been able to get rid of her.

"Oh, MC, I must apologize, for your grandmother had passed many weeks ago," Sarah said, her indifferent sounding voice betraying the look of remorse on her face. "She never gave up hope that you would return home, though. She left the manor and all of her assets to you."

Ah, that explained why Sarah appeared to be so curt with MC. She was mad that she had returned, instead of letting enough time pass for Grandmother's will to be found null, and having the old woman's belongings to be handed off to her, a lowly maid. As if that would even happen. In the event of MC not returning, she assumed her Grandmother's belongings would be given to her closest relative, not the maid.

"I see…" MC looked down to the ground. She should have felt mournful, but a strange and heavy feeling instead had settled in her chest. Maybe it was due to how long it had been since she had last seen the older woman. She could barely even conjure up a vision of her face, nor could she remember the sound of her voice.

She heard Jumin clear his throat behind her, and she turned to see him making an expectant face. "Oh, uh, Sarah this is Jumin Han, Jumin this is Sarah Choi. Jumin is my new butler."

Sarah nodded, and MC couldn't miss her look of desire directed toward the otherworldly butler. MC shuddered in disgust. She didn't want to know what was running through Sarah's head at that moment.

She stepped into the threshold of the manor without any other words, sick of standing outside as if she was just some sort of peddler, not the owner of the manor.

"Sarah, go run a bath for me." MC requested curtly.

When Sarah scampered off, Jumin grabbed MC's arm to turn her around and stare down at her. "_Butler_? Really?" He asked, staring down at her in disgust. Again, giving her a look as if she were a mere ant, a small inconvenience.

"_Yes, _a _butler_. You want me to tell this woman the truth? That you're a _demon_ that I summoned by accident? A _demon_ that will consume my soul in a few months time, nonetheless. So, yes, you're my butler. Sorry, _your highness_, but with what I had to go through to get you, you should be grateful to take any name _I _give you." MC ranted, huffing when she was done.

Jumin was silent, and for a smug moment, MC thought that she had managed to put him in his place. Instead, he lifted his hand to grip her chin while his eyes burned into her own.

"You are nothing. You aren't even dirt beneath my shoes, your soul will barely amount to a meal, and when I'm done with you, you'll never walk this plane again. Your soul will wither away like yesterday's dinner. You can revel in your little power trip now while you have the will to do so, but just remember that at the end of the day, I am not yours. You are _mine._" Jumin spat, not pausing to even take a breath.

MC shook her head free from his grasp, her eyes falling back to the ground. Jumin placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her back around with a small push in the direction Sarah had gone previously. "Now, time for your bath," he said, his voice dripping with false kindness. "Wouldn't like people to think you're just a little street urchin, would we?"

She nodded as she walked, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. "Yes, Jumin."

His eyes flashed red as he grinned.

"_Good girl_."

* * *

**AN: **Thanks again for reading! I had more time on my hands, so I figured I'd go ahead and post this while I was still feeling motivated ^^

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


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